Spirit of her Heart
by appa-appa-away
Summary: You've all heard the fairytale stories where the Prince falls in love with the girl as soon as he sees her and he rescues her to make her love him. A twisted fairytale, semi-drabble series. Warning: Instant love. Zutara/Bluetara. Now reposted and edited.
1. The Fortress by the Mountain

**Now EDITED AND REPOSTED and RENAMED. Formerly named "My Bluetara".**

**We've all heard the fairytales where the prince falls in love with the lady as soon as he sees her. Then he saves her from the bad guys and they live happily ever after... right? Well, the happily ever after isn't always the case. If you don't like instant love or a tragic ending, then this story is not for you, so please don't read it or you won't be a happy camper. **

**This chapter takes place towards the end of the episode **_**The Blue Spirit**_**, in Book 1. Think of it as a slightly twisted fairytale.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Avatar: the Last Airbender**_** or any of its characters. Any original characters and story lines, however, I do own.**

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1. The Fortress by the Mountain

Aang could feel how tense the masked man was as they backed away from the fortress.

The young Avatar kept note of where the blades of the broad swords were around his neck and how tightly they were pressed up against his skin. Although the blades were dangerously close to his throat, Aang knew that the masked man wasn't really going to hurt him.

_It's just an act so that we can get away, _he told himself.

They were a fair distance from the fortress now and Aang was starting to relax.

Suddenly, the faint _twang_ of a bow releasing an arrow could be heard in the direction of one of the watchtowers of the fortress, and the _whoosh_ of a flying arrow was audible.

In a split second, Aang saw the deadly arrow flying straight towards them.

One of the archers must have been intending to shoot the masked man.

It was going to hit! But no, something else was wrong. The arrow was flying to low. It was going to hit, but not its intended target.

It was going to hit Aang.

And it did.

Aang gasped in pain as the pointed tip of the arrow thudded into his lower rib cage.

"_Aang!_" a muffled voice called from behind the blue mask.

The swords were drawn away from his throat as he stumbled backwards.

He felt strong arms catch him as he fell.

The last thing Aang heard before darkness overtook him was the sound of two swords being slid back into their sheath.

* * *

Zuko swore under his breath from behind his mask as the young Avatar became limp in his arms.

He could hear voices and footsteps approaching from the direction of the fortress. Quickly, he scooped the young boy into his arms and then darted into the forest.

Zuko ran as fast as he could and didn't stop for what felt like an eternity.

When he finally heard the footsteps behind him fading, he let out a sigh of relief, but he kept running.

He waited a few minutes after the footsteps had completely gone before he stopped.

When he was sure they were safe he lay Aang down against a tree trunk.

He ripped some material off the bottom of his shirt before quickly but gently removing the arrow form Aang's solar-plexus.

As he had expected, once the arrow was removed, Aang started bleeding heavily. Using the material he had ripped from his shirt, Zuko made a bandage and wrapped it around the boys wound.

When he was sure the bandage was secure and Aang wasn't about to start bleeding again, the masked Prince scooped the Avatar up into his arms again and started heading in the direction of the swamp and mountain.

When he reached the swamp, he picked up four frozen frogs and stuffed them in his pockets.

He continued up the mountain as fast as he could. By the time he reached the top of the mountain it was dawn.

Appa gave a worried grunt as the masked figure laid his unconscious master on his tail. He kept a close eye on the beast as he moved over to the dazed water siblings.

The masked man knelt down and stuck two frozen frogs in Sokka's mouth.

"Is this stuff home made?" the boy asked stupidly as Zuko got up.

He walked over to where Katara lay.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"Just a friend," Zuko replied. "You need to suck on these."

And before Katara could react, the masked man stuck two frozen frogs into her mouth.

The girl didn't seem to acknowledge what had just happened – she simply rolled over and dozed off.

_You're kinda cute, _Zuko thought as he watched the girl sleep, _you __**are**__ cute._

Zuko mentally kicked himself.

_What are you on about? She's a Water Tribe peasant and she's traveling with the Avatar!_

_But it's true; she's cute._

_So? She's not for you, there are plenty of better girls for you to choose from, ones that are Fire noble ladies._

_I don't care, I want her._

Zuko couldn't believe the argument going on inside his head.

But he knew it was true. He didn't know how long for, but he knew he was in love with Katara.

_Katara…_he thought, _a pretty name for a pretty girl._

Zuko wasn't sure what had gotten into him, but he didn't care. He was in love, so why should he?

_Uncle always said I'd find love in an unlikely place._

He reached out with one hand and stroked the girl's head.

He stared at her in a daydream.

Suddenly a moan and someone moving brought him back to reality.

He looked over, towards Appa, to see that Aang had regained consciousness and was looking around the cave, confused.

Finally, his gaze rested on Zuko, who was still wearing his mask.

Understanding dawned on the Avatar.

"Thank you," he whispered, "you saved me and my friends." He looked at Katara and Sokka. "Thank you."

Zuko nodded in acceptance to the boy's thanks.

Now Aang sat up. Clutching the bandages over his wound, he asked, "Who are you?"

"I am the Blue Spirit," Zuko replied, keeping his voice soft in the hope that Aang would not recognize it.

Aang opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by a scream.

Aang and the Blue Spirit turned to see Sokka ripping the two now unfrozen frogs from his mouth and gagging and spitting and coughing everywhere.

Within seconds, Katara had woken up too. But after giving her own cry of shock and disgust, she simply raised her hands to her mouth and slipped the frogs out and propped them on the floor. After this she turned and spat all of the saliva out of her mouth.

_Time to go, _Zuko thought.

And with that, the Blue Spirit got up and left, leaving the Avatar to explain to his friends why they had been sucking on frogs.

But as he left, he could feel Katara's curious eyes following him until he was out of sight.

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So, what did you think? Tell me in your reviews. And before anyone says anything about it moving to fast, it's a fairy tale setting! It's supposed to be instant love, so don't both pointing that out! Anyways, review! XD!


	2. The North Pole, Part 1: The Rescue

**This takes place just after Zuko leaves his uncle in the North Pole to go and find Aang. Everything between the end of **_**The Blue Spirit **_**and now is the same. Nothing has changed except the end of that episode and what happens now. Enjoy!**

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**2. The North Pole, Part 1: The Rescue**

"Princess Yue, run!" Katara shouted to her friend as the pirates broke into the room.

"Give up water scum, you're surrounded!" one of them barked at her as Yue disappeared out a side door.

Katara hoped they hadn't seen her and that she would go and get help. She looked at the pirates around her. They were all armed and looked ready to fight.

But the water girl would not surrender.

"Clear off and leave this place!" she yelled with as much determination and confidence as she could muster, "you're no match against me!" She knew this probably wasn't completely true, but she did know a lot more waterbending just then than she had during their first encounter, and she was sure that they didn't know it very well.

"Yea, right!" one of the men laughed. "I could take you on my own with my hands tied behind my back!"

His companions laughed.

Now Katara chose to strike. Quick as lightning, she created a five meter water whip and slashed it violently in front of her, sending the pirates flying backwards.

She ran for the door, but before she could reach it, a spear flew past her and hit the wall. She turned to see the pirates had regained there footing.

They charged at her, swords, daggers, clubs and spears raised.

Katara made a wall of water rise between her and her attackers and froze it. She heard the dull thuds of the pirates running into the ice as she finally swung the door open.

But in just seconds she could hear the cracking and shattering sound of someone breaking through the ice.

And then she heard footsteps gaining on her.

As she ran, she collected water and froze it into pointed icicles, which she threw behind her. Some of her pursuers could be heard gasping in pain and falling over, but some of the pirates dodged her weapons.

She was outside now. But the streets were deserted.

Katara swung her arms around in a wide arch in front of her and pivoted as she ran to face her enemies.

As she turned, she could see the looks of shock on the pirates' faces as the wave of snow Katara was controlling came towards them.

Katara's lips curled into a triumphant smile.

But wait… something was wrong.

As Katara took a few steps backwards, she lost her footing. The wall of snow dropped as she tried to regain balance.

The pirates used this opportunity to advance on their prey.

Noticing this, Katara tried to start running. This only caused her to lose her balance even more.

_Oh, shit, _she thought as she slipped.

She thudded to the ground and pain shot through the side of her head as she slammed it against a rock.

_Oh, shit!_

And Katara's world went black.

_Oh, shit…_

* * *

She could feel the rocking of a ship as her element lapped its sides and she could hear the steady whoosh of the ocean as the water moved about.

Katara opened her eyes.

She was on her back, looking up at the ceiling of a dark, dank prison cell. She knew she must be in the brig of the pirates' ship.

She sat up.

_Now what am I suppose to do? _she asked herself.

She looked around, she was completely alone. There didn't seem to be a way out. The bars of the cell were all in good tact and the door was securely locked. There wasn't any water in sight, so she couldn't bend anything.

Katara was about to give up and just sit back until her friends came to save her, when the door to the brig creaked and swung open.

In the doorway stood the man in the blue mask, who she had seen the morning after she and Sokka had been sick and Aang had been hurt.

The masked man walked into the brig and shut the door softly behind him. Without a word, he crept over to the door of Katara's cell and, using his broad swords, unhinged it.

Then he broke the lock and the door fell away from its frame. He caught it and lowered it gently to the ground.

Straightening up, he held out a hand to help Katara up. She accepted his assistance and was pulled upright by strong, masculine arms. Still hand in hand, the masked man began to lead the way back towards the door.

"Wait," the waterbender said, before he could reach it. "Who are you?"

The man stopped and turned to face Katara. After a moment of silence he answered.

"I am the Blue Spirit," he said simply.

"What's your real name?" she asked, hoping he would say.

"I don't think I should tell you that," he answered.

"Why not?" she asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to work out for yourself," he replied.

He turned and opened the door. She gasped at the sight of two unconscious pirates, sprawled across the floor.

"What? You thought they just left you on the ship unguarded or just let me on board?" the Blue Spirit laughed coldly, as he stepped over the limp bodies.

Katara followed him.

_Your voice sounds so familiar, where have I heard it before?_ she thought as they walked down a corridor, up a flight of stairs and onto the deck.

They started towards the boarding plank, but before they could reach it, their ears were met with an angry cry.

"Hey! Wadda ya think yer doen'?!"

They inclined their heads towards the crow's-nest to see a pirate glowering down at them.

"That's our prisoner!" he yelled at the Blue Spirit whilst indicating to Katara.

His eyes suddenly bulged in surprise as he acknowledged the man's mask.

"You!" he exclaimed. "You're alive! But we just killed you a few days ago!"

Before the pirate could issue another word, the Blue Spirit sent a fireball at him. The man yelled and jumped from the crow's-nest just in time.

Standing up straight, he drew his sword and charged at the Blue Spirit. The Blue Spirit drew his own swords and blocked the pirate's attack and pushed him backwards a few meters.

They glared at each other.

"Do you really think you have a chance against me, Your Majesty?" the pirate inquired.

"Yes, I think I do," replied a now cold and even more familiar voice from behind the mask.

Both men lunged at each other, swords raised in both attack and defense and a strange pair of hands wrapped themselves around Katara's neck. She screamed as a pirate pulled her back towards the door that led below deck with a choking grip. Katara fought against the man and tried to push him off, but he only tightened his grip.

A gasp of pain was heard in the direction of the Blue Spirit and the first pirate they had noticed. The sound of a body hitting the deck unsettled Katara and she tried to see who the victor of the battle was. But her vision was going black from lack of oxygen as her captor continued to strangle her.

Suddenly, she felt the temperature of her surroundings rise and heard the crackling of flames and a scream of pain as the pirate relinquished his vice grip on her throat.

Katara fell sideways from lack of oxygen, but felt two strong masculine arms catch her.

She knew the Blue Spirit must have won his fight against the pirate and was now coming to her aid again.

He lifted her up and she rested her head on his shoulder as he held her against his chest and ran from the pirate ship.

_He's a firebender,_ Katara thought, _but he just saved me._

She didn't know how she should feel about this. Blackness was filling her fast; she had to make up her mind about the situation now.

_I'm safe with him, _she decided, _he's a good firebender._

With that, Katara relaxed and let herself become unconscious.

* * *

As Zuko ran, he could feel the water girl bouncing against his chest.

_Keep running, Zuko, _he told himself.

He kept up his pace, but glanced down at Katara every now and then.

After a few minutes he began to slow down. No one was watching him and he was a fair distance from the pirate ship now. Up ahead, he could see an opening in the rocks and a cave in the side of the cliff. He ran towards it, leaving the rocky beach behind.

Inside the cave, the ground was fairly smooth. Zuko put the water girl down against the cave wall and made sure she was in a comfortable position. He sat next to her and looked at her.

_Why are you so pretty? _he thought to himself.

He stroked her head again.

* * *

After a few minutes Katara began to stir. As the water girl woke, she looked up into golden eyes peering at her through a blue and white mask.

She could feel warm hands stroking her head.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Blue Spirit," he replied.

"I know that, I mean what is your real name?"

"I already told you, I can't tell you," he answered.

Katara sat up.

"Why not?" she asked.

"I just can't, ok?" the Blue Spirit's voice shook.

Katara could tell he wanted to tell her, but didn't at the same time.

"Those pirates – they know who you are, don't they?" she asked.

He nodded slowly.

Silence for a moment.

"You're a firebender." It was a statement not a question.

"So?"

"I haven't met many decent firebenders," she said.

"I'm not so sure there are many who are disloyal to the Fire Lord," the masked man said.

"Your voice is so familiar… have I met you somewhere before?"

"Um…"

Before the Blue Spirit could answer, a dagger came rushing through the air. It missed the Blue Spirit by millimeters before thudding into the wall behind him. Both of them swore loudly as three pirates emerged from the black depths of the cave and started charging at them.

The Blue Spirit pulled the waterbender to her feet and they started running back towards the cave entrance. But before they could make it out, two more pirates appeared, blocking their way.

The masked man knocked them backwards with a fire blast and quickly led Katara out of the cave and onto the rocky beach again. They ran hand in hand along the beach, towards a series of caves that ate into the mountain, a little further down the beach.

They made it in and kept running into the blackness, not daring to slow down. They could hear the pirates running after them.

They turned right and followed the tunnel until they came to a fork tunnel and they took the right again.

Finally the pirates' footsteps began to fade away, but the pair of them kept running.

As they rounded a bend, they entered a large cavern. They continued to run into it, only to find it was full of ice cold water. Both gasping in shock, they tried to stop themselves, but they were running too fast and they both went over the edge and plunged into the icy blackness.

Katara felt the air get knocked out of her, as she entered the water and could feel the warm hand in hers slip away.

_So cold…_ she thought as she tried to swim.

But she was _too _cold; she couldn't move, she couldn't waterbend.

_I need air… _she thought.

She tried harder but she was almost frozen.

_I have to breathe…!_

And she did, but regretted it immediately.

She began to choke as the water clawed at her lungs with its icy cold fingers. Katara's vision was darkening and she still couldn't breathe or move.

Suddenly, there was a beam of light above her. She stared at it as she drifted deeper and deeper into the water. Then she felt the warm hands again, grabbing her under the armpits and pulling her towards the light.

In a split second, the water girl had broken through the surface and her lungs were greeted with oxygen.

She felt herself being pulled into the Blue Spirits warm embrace as he pulled her along as he swam towards the opposite bank of the lake. He dragged her ashore and she could hear his teeth chattering.

"Who are you?" she asked for the third time that night.

"I can't tell you," the soaked Blue Spirit hissed back, slightly annoyed.

Katara could still feel herself being lulled to sleep by the cold.

_Not again, _she thought as her eyes shut and she became still for the third time that night.

* * *

Zuko steadied his shaking as he looked at the water girl.

"Oh, c'mon, wake up," he breathed as he shook her, but she didn't stir.

_So cold, _he thought, _we're all wet._

He stood up and walked over to a smaller cave, leading off the cavern they were in. He leaned her against the wall and quickly made a fire. He didn't need wood for his fire; he could keep it alive with his firebending.

Zuko took his mask off and put in on the ground. Grabbing his ponytail he squeezed as much water out of it as he could before removing his shirt and doing his best to get the water out of that. He evaporated the water that remained on him and in his pants and then slipped his shirt back on.

_That's better, _he thought, as he evaporated the remaining water in his shirt and snuggled into his warm cloths.

Katara moaned and then he remembered; she was wet and cold too. Zuko went and knelt down beside her.

_She's soaked through, _he noted, _the clothes are going to have to come off._

Then, before the Fire Prince could stop himself he began to take off the water girl's fur coat and the dress she was wearing underneath.

_What are you doing?! _his brain screamed at him.

_Saving her life! _it answered itself.

_No, you're perverting on her, pervert!_

_Get lost; I'm not even thinking about that!_

_Then what are you doing?!_

_I'm saving her life!_

_How's stripping her saving her life?_

_If I can just get her warm, then she'll be fine, but the clothes are full of cold water and that's making her cold._

_Well, if she's not wearing anything she'll be cold too!_

_No, I'm going to use my body heat to keep her warm, once she's warm I'll put her clothes back on her._

Zuko had stopped what he was doing while he had this mental debate.

_Stop arguing with yourself! Just help Katara!_

He stooped over and finished stripping her clothes off her, leaving only her underwear on.

_Jeez, she has a nice body…_

He mentally slapped himself.

_Told you, you were perverting on her!_

_Argh, I didn't mean that!_

_Yea, right!_

_Stop calling me a pervert!_

Zuko pushed the mental argument aside as he unbuttoned his shirt again and pulled the unconscious water girl up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and concentrated on raising his body temperature.

_How's she gonna feel when she wakes up in her underwear and sees you? _his brain asked him.

_She won't know it's me, _he answered mentally.

Zuko reached for his mask and slipped it back on, before once again concentrating on keeping Katara from dying of hyperthermia.

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_So warm,_

_Katara thought, I just fell into ice cold water, why am I so warm?_

She snuggled in towards whatever, or on closer inspection, _who_ever was providing such warmth. She opened her eyes and saw she was being embraced by the Blue Spirit. She noticed that she was being held up against his bare chest.

_Wow, this guy sure knows how to work out, _she thought to herself.

The waterbender looked down to see that she was in her underwear.

_What the hell?!_

_Calm down, I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this._

_Calm down? Good explanation? I'm in my underwear!_

"You fell into the water, we both did. I got us out, but you were suffering hyperthermia," the Blue Spirits familiar voice spoke.

She looked up at him puzzled.

"Hyperthermia is a –"

"I know; a cold sickness that can kill its victims. Lots of people back in the Southern Water Tribe get it," she said. "Thank you for saving me."

"Sorry I had to take off your clothes, but you were soaked and they would have kept you cold."

"It's ok, you kept me alive, I think I'll forgive you," the water girl smiled.

"C'mon, I'll dry your cloths now that I know you're alive."

With that, the Blue Spirit rose and let go of Katara. As soon as he let go of her, Katara felt the icy air stabbing at her again and had to resist the urge to pull the Blue Spirit back to her.

The masked man went over to where a fire was burning in the middle of the small cave and Katara watched as he picked up her clothes and dried them. She knew he used his firebending to evaporate the water in them.

After a moment, he turned around and gave Katara her clothes before turning away again.

_Oh, they're so warm!_ she thought as she slipped them on.

She looked and saw the Blue Spirit was buttoning up his shirt.

When he had finished, Katara got up and walked over to where he was by the fire. She knelt down next to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut across her.

"Please don't ask me for my name," he said.

"I wasn't going to. You don't want me to know, so I won't ask," she retorted.

"Oh, ok," he said glumly. "Then… what were you going to say?"

"I was just going to say… that whoever you are, I really like you and well, I want to thank you in more than just words…"

Katara reached for the lower edges of the mask. The Blue Spirit flinched and as she grasped the mask, he grabbed hold of her wrists.

"I'm not going to take it off you…" she said.

Slowly, and keeping a hold on her wrist, the Blue Spirit let the water girl lift the mask so that his mouth was exposed.

* * *

From behind the mask, Zuko couldn't see anything. He kept a gentle but firm grip on the water girl's wrists as she exposed his mouth.

_Could this be a dream come true? _he thought as he leaned in towards Katara with his lips parted.

In a split second, Zuko could feel Katara's lips pressing against his.

It was electric.

The Fire Prince couldn't help himself; he kissed back.

Their mouths opened and lapped each other.

Zuko could feel one of Katara's hands slipping down to rest on his shoulder. He let go of the wrist of that hand and placed his behind her head, drawing her closer.

Their lips raced and Zuko attempted to push Katara up against the cave wall. But he didn't let go of her wrist, and as he moved his hand to her shoulder, the mask slipped off. Zuko didn't notice and neither did Katara.

Now Zuko let go of her other wrist and used his now free hand to draw Katara body towards his.

They were leaning up against each other and their kissed were becoming deeper and more passionate.

Zuko's heart was racing as he snaked his arms around her waist and her arms wrapped themselves around his neck.

After an eternity they began to slow down.

When they broke apart, they were panting. They kept their eyes closed as their cheeks rubbed against each other.

"I love you…" Zuko breathed into Katara's right ear as she kissed his neck gently.

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**So, what did you think? AND DON'T BOTHER TELLING ME THAT IT'S MOVING TO FAST! ITS SUPPOSE TO! Anyways, hope you liked it! XD R&R**

**In other (very bad and heartbreaking) news:**

**Ok, if everyone has watched the last few episodes, then we all know that Kataang won (BOO!)**

**But don't worry, fellow Zutaraians; if we all hold hands and pull together and lean on each other, stay true to what is in our hearts and keep our imaginations running on fanfiction, then who cares if Zutara didn't end up in the series?! As long as we don't give up hope, Zutara will live on in us! THREE CHEERS FOR ZUTARA! HIP-HIP, HORAY! HIP-HIP, HORAY! HIP-HIP, HORAY! (Tear) nice to be part of the team, hey?**

_**Don't let Kataang and Maiko get you down**_

_**Don't let them turn your smile into a frown**_

**(Just a couple of lines from the musical nomads in the cave of two lovers episode, remade)**

**If you want to be part of team Zutara, pm me or let me know in a review, or check out my profile page for more information. I will list you on my profile page if you want to join. Penname if you have an account, just make one up if you don't.**

**Zutara forever!**


	3. The North Pole, Part 2: Love in a cave

**Ok, picking up right where we left off last chapter. Enjoy. R&R!**

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**3. The North Pole, Part 2: Love in a Cave**

Katara's right cheek rubbed against the now unmasked Blue Spirits left cheek.

Katara gasped. She could feel that the bottom half of his cheek was smooth but the top half was rough.

_What is that?_ she thought.

She moved her hand from the back of his head to touch the cheek in question. She traced a line at the edge of the rough skin.

_It's like…_

She ran her fingertips over his ear and over where his eyebrow should have been. She traced the edge of the blemish right back to where it had started.

_Like…a…scar?! _

Katara held her breath.

_I know that scar._

Her heart was racing.

_There's only one person with a scar like that…_

Katara was surprised that he couldn't hear her heart beating.

_Please…_

She drew away from his face slowly.

_Don't let it be…_

She looked at the man she had just kissed. In the light from the fire, Katara could see the face of Prince Zuko.

_No! _she thought desperately, _NO!_

The Fire Prince looked into her eyes and Katara could see he was afraid. They stared at each other in silence for a moment and Zuko stopped pushing Katara up against the wall. He sat back and looked at the ground giving the water girl room to get up if she wanted to leave.

But she didn't move. Katara was too shocked to move.

_Not Zuko, no, you can't be Zuko._

But as much as Katara begged her eyes to be deceiving her, she knew they weren't.

* * *

Zuko waited. He was waiting for Katara to scream at him. To hit him. To get up and run away from him. But nothing happened.

Katara didn't speak, didn't lash out, didn't try to run.

After a while, the Fire Prince began to get annoyed. He looked at her to see she was looking at the ground between them. The only emotions visible in her expression were sorrow, uncertainty and longing.

Finally he spoke.

"Well… what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to yell at me? Hit me? Run away form me?" The Prince could barely keep his voice steady.

Katara continued to stair at the ground silently.

Zuko became frustrated.

_What I'd give to just make it that this never happened._

But he couldn't change the past, and he knew it. So, he just took a deep breath and forced himself to refrain from burning both of them to death.

* * *

Katara stared at the ground between herself and the now unmasked Blue Spirit.

_Zuko?! No, not Zuko! How can it be Zuko?!_

She was too shocked to physically so anything, but inside of her, she was working herself into a state of panic.

_Prince Zuko. Just. Kissed. Me._

_The man who chased me, my friend and my brother half way around the world is right in front of me._

Suddenly, another part of Katara's brain chimed in.

_This man just saved your life… several times!_

_He's a firebender… he's Prince of the Fire Nation – I'm in grave danger._

_I don't think you are. I think if you were in danger from the Fire Prince, he would have killed you by now. In fact, he probably wouldn't have bothered saving you from the pirates if he wanted you dead._

_He'll probably just use me to get to Aang._

_But he saved Aang too; remember on the island with the fortress? The Blue Spirit kept Aang alive until he was in safe hands and made sure you and Sokka were alright before leaving and not disturbing you again._

_We're talking about Prince Zuko here!_

_So? He saved Aang, Sokka and you as a group and tonight he's helped you several times, just you._

_He's still the enemy, he's a firebender!_

_You knew he was a Firebender before you kissed him… and he kissed back, even thought he knew all along that it was you!_

Katara wanted to run, she wanted to scream, she wanted to hurt the man in front of her and tell him what a jerk he was. But at the same time, she wanted to close the gap between them and kiss him again. She wanted to feel the warmth of his body on hers and she wanted to run away with him and never be found.

She hated him for the things he had done and the things he had tried to do, but he had saved her life many times tonight and for that, she loved him.

_You __**are **__a good person, _she mused.

His voice brought her back to reality.

"What are you waiting for?!" he sounded frustrated, angry and scared all in one.

Katara took a moment to find her voice.

"I knew there was good in you," she commented, but she only spoke in a whisper.

Silence hung between them as they tried to think of what to say next.

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* * *

_

_What was that suppose to mean?! _Zuko thought, half annoyed and half curious.

"Why haven't you run off yet? Or pushed me further away? Or started yelling at me about how much of a jerk I am?" Once again, he struggled to keep his voice steady and it cracked as he choked out his words.

There was silence for a moment.

"You saved my life," she said, "I knew there was good in you."

_Now what am I suppose to say?_

"Why didn't you just tell me it was you?" the waterbender asked.

"Because I thought you'd try and run away from me and turn down my help. I wasn't sure you'd react well."

"Why would you want to save me?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he retorted.

"Well, the fact that I've been travelling with the Avatar and have been helping stop you from catching him, for starts. I'm a waterbender, not a firebender or even from the Fire Nation. And I'm a peasant at that!"

They were both silent for a minute.

"Why did you help me?" she asked again.

"Because I just did!" Zuko snapped back.

He glared at her for a moment before realizing she hadn't done anything wrong. He lowered his eyes and mumbled an apology. When he spoke again, he didn't take his eyes off the ground.

"Prince Zuko has a duty to his nation. It's his duty to capture the Avatar and help the Fire Nation win this war in the way the Fire Lord deems best." He paused for a moment. He had never told anyone this – not even his uncle. He would have to choose his words carefully. "But he doesn't like his duties to his country. So, he got himself a mask, and when no one's looking, he slips it on and becomes the Blue Spirit and he does his duties to his heart." The Fire Prince spoke softly and truthfully. "But he knows that if anyone found out he was the Blue Spirit, he would be in a hell of a lot of trouble. So he keeps his mask on when he's out and hidden when he's not. And when everyone's watching he puts on the mask of Prince Zuko, and only _Prince_ Zuko, because he isn't free to just be Zuko," he finished.

There was a stunned silence between them.

After a while Katara spoke.

"So, what you're saying is, Prince Zuko is a forced personality, not really what you want or who you are. And the only way you can be yourself is if you're behind the mask, but even then, you're the only one who knows it's you – everyone else just thinks you're the Blue Spirit."

Zuko confirmed this with a nod.

"I knew there had to be some good in you," she said again.

They were silent for a moment longer.

"If you knew it was me… then why did you let me kiss you?" she asked after a moment of thought.

"I-I just did," was his answer.

"More to it, why did you kiss back?" Now Katara looked him in the eye.

Blue clashed with gold and Zuko's mouth worked before his mind as he let his emotions take control of him.

"I just did," he paused, "because I wanted to, and I've wanted to for a long time."

Katara kept their eye contact and Zuko could see she whished desperately that his words were true.

"Because I love you," he couldn't help but add before he finished.

The waterbender closed her eyes and silence filled the dank cave. The water girl couldn't believe her ears.

_Zuko loves me, _she thought,_ he loves me and he wants to be on the Avatar's side of the war._

_Told you, you were safe with him, _another part of her brain told her.

The Fire Prince loved her… was she alright with that? She knew the answer, but she was scared to reveal it, even to herself.

She opened her eyes again and looked at Zuko.

_He is kinda good looking,_ she thought, _the scar really isn't that bad._

Zuko looked back at her.

"If you're Prince Zuko when everyone's watching and you become the Blue Spirit when their backs are turned… then who are you now?"

"Now? Well, I'm doing my duty to myself without my mask on… so I guess that means… I'm just Zuko," he answered.

"Just Zuko," she repeated. "Well, just Zuko, seeing as I know your secret, when I'm the only one watching, can you be just Zuko, for me?"

The firebender was speechless at first.

Finally he spoke.

"What are you saying?" he whispered.

Katara wasn't entirely sure what she had meant. But the water girl was lost in her emotions and moved forward, lessening the gap between them.

Now she found her voice.

"I'm saying…" their faces were millimeters apart, "I love you too."

They kept eye contact as their faces moved closer. Both of them closed their eyes as the gap between them disappeared and their lips met in a kiss.

At first it was gentle as their arms slowly snaked around each other and they drew closer to each other.

Katara leaned backwards against the cave wall again and Zuko leaned forward.

Their lips began to move faster. Their tongues invaded each others mouths and the kisses deepened.

Katara felt Zuko's embrace tighten on her and she followed suit. She ran her hands up the back of his head to where his ponytail was. Gently, but quickly, she removed the material keeping it up and his black hair fell around his shoulders.

Then she felt his hands reach for the hair-ties holding her braid and bun together. He tugged them out and her hair came loose. He ran his fingers through it and began to trace kisses down her cheek, to her jaw. Katara leaned her head back as he began to trail down her neck. He kissed her along the collar bone and held her tight to him all the while.

When he got to her cleavage, he stopped and rested his head against her chest. She knew he was listening to her heartbeat.

After an eternity they both sat up and looked at each other, still wrapped in each others embrace. They leaned in towards each other and rested their heads on each others shoulders.

"Yes. I'll be just Zuko when you're the only one watching."

And they sat like that, in silence, for hours, until it was almost dawn.

* * *

As the sun rose Zuko stood up. He didn't need to see the sun to know it was rising. He quickly knotted his hair back into its ponytail and then bent down and picked up his mask.

"We can't stay down here forever," he said.

She nodded a forced approval.

"Not even if we really want to," he added.

He held out his hand to help her up. She accepted the help and stood up. But they continued to hold hands as they stood there.

"Well, let's get out of here," Katara whispered.

They left the cave hand in hand and walked to the edge of the flooded cavern. Katara parted the water and they walked to the other side.

After a while of walking, they came to the mouth of the cave. Before they left, Zuko put his mask back on and became the Blue Spirit again.

They stepped out, to see the sun rising and painting the sky and water and snow and ice in gold and pink. The air was cold and crisp and fresh.

"I'll take you back to your friends and then I'll have to go and find my uncle," Zuko told her.

"When will I see you again?" the water girl asked.

"I don't know," he admitted, "next time I'll probably be _Prince_ Zuko," he added. He saw her face sadden and regretted having said anything. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright," he assured her.

She looked at him and smiled. Katara leaned in and kissed his neck. Zuko smiled from behind his mask. After a moment, Zuko began to lead the way back towards the city.

The streets were quiet and deserted. Everyone still seemed to be asleep in their beds. But Zuko wasn't paying attention to any of this.

All he did was look at Katara from behind his mask and think about what had happened between them over the past few hours.

_

* * *

_

_Sokka and Aang and Yue must be so worried, _Katara thought, _I wonder what they think must have happened to me…_

Suddenly, the Blue Spirit tapped her on the shoulder.

"I have to go now; will you be alright to find your friends?"

"Yes, I'll be fine. Are you gonna find your uncle easy enough?"

"Yes, but even if I just wait around here, he'll find me," the Blue Spirit answered.

"Thanks for saving me."

"No problem." He paused and thought for a moment. "Don't tell anyone it's me, ok?"

Katara nodded. "Ok," she said.

"But if anyone asked what happened, just tell them everything up to the bit where we started… you know… kissing." he told her.

The water girl nodded again.

"But definitely don't tell them who I really am!" the masked man added as he past a hand over the part of his mask that was hiding his scar.

Another nod from Katara.

The Blue Spirit turned to leave and Katara suddenly felt empty. Alone. Cold.

_No, don't leave me…_

She couldn't let him go, not without saying goodbye properly first. Before he was out of arms reach, she grabbed his hand and pulled him back round to face her.

Before he could do anything, she lifted his mask so that his mouth was exposed and she pressed her lips against his.

Once again, she felt her heart soar, as she tasted his hot lips.

He couldn't bring himself to protest her actions and he let himself kiss her back.

* * *

Zuko's heart began to ache horribly as their lips broke apart.

Katara placed his mask back on his face properly.

When her hand released his, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him so that their bodies met and they embraced each other tightly. They stood there in each others arms for a few minutes.

Zuko suddenly heard footsteps approaching. He released his grip on Katara and stepped back.

Katara heard the noise too.

Suddenly, a boy dressed in a Water Tribe outfit appeared around a corner and stopped dead when he saw the waterbender. His face cracked into a smile.

"Katara!" he raced towards her and hugged her.

The Blue Spirit quickly ran off before the boy could notice he was there.

"I was so worried!" the boy said.

"I know, Sokka, but it's ok, I'm fine," she assured her brother, as he pushed her back off him so he could see her properly.

Zuko stopped at a corner and looked back at the water siblings.

"Yue told me what happened…how did you escape?"

At this, Katara looked behind her brother to where her hero stood. The water boy didn't take any notice of what his sister was looking at and just waited for her answer.

"I…was rescued," she answered.

"By who?" he urged.

"I dunno, he didn't say his name… he was wearing a mask."

Sokka looked vaguely interested, but decided to just enjoy having his sister back while he did.

Katara looked away from the Blue Spirit as her brother embraced her again. Zuko took this opportunity to leave.

_If I don't leave now, I'll never be able to._

He left Katara, the woman of his dreams, in her brothers' arms, in the village. He promised himself he wouldn't look back at them, and only just succeeded.

Zuko found his uncle a few hours later, on the beach. He decided not to say anything about saving Katara.

"I just looked for the Avatar, fought a few pirates, had a little run in with some of Zhao's men," he lied.

His weary uncle took his nephews word without a second thought.

For the rest of the day, Zuko's only thoughts were of her.

_I wonder… when will I see you again?_

* * *

Katara kept her promise to Zuko. She didn't tell anyone that her rescuer and been the Fire Prince or a firebender at all. And she didn't say a word about the secret relationship that had started between them.

She told her brother everything else as it had been.

When they caught up with Aang, they told her of their night's events; both good and bad.

But for the whole day, and many more to come, the one question lingered at the back of her mind.

_When will I see you again?_

* * *

**Did you like it? I hope you did. Fairytale enough for you? Anyways, review. **

**If you wanna join Team Zutara, PM me or ask me in your review. For more info, look at my profile page. It has more info than I put in last chapters author's note on the profile page.**

**R&R XD A~A~A**


	4. Breaking up

**Sorry it took so long to update. I won't be replying to any reviews. My internet is dead and I'm at a friends house to air this. **

**Anyway, this one is set in book thee, just after the episode 'the Chase'. Enjoy! R&R**

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**4. Breaking Up**

Katara finished drying her hair by waterbending.

"Who's the earthbender girl?" asked a familiar voice from behind her.

She turned to see the Blue Spirit emerging from the trees.

She smiled, "Her name's Toph, she's Aang's earthbending teacher. She's blind."

"Cool, I guess," he said approaching her.

Katara was the one to close the gap between them.

"Who was the girl with the blue firebending, and the creepy one with the hidden weapons, and the acrobat?"

"The firebender is my sister, Princess Azula, the creepy one is her friend Mai and the acrobat is their friend Ty Lee," he explained.

Katara didn't really pay that much attention to his answer. She took a look around to make sure no one was watching before removing his mask and kissing him passionately.

The mask fell to the ground, forgotten, as Zuko embraced her. They hadn't seen each other like this since the North Pole. Their lips raced and their mouths were invaded by each others tongue.

* * *

"So, your nephew is Prince Zuko?" the blind girl asked the old man.

"Yes," he replied, "I didn't think I'd be seeing you again so soon after we parted. So, you're the Avatar's earthbending master?"

She nodded.

"How are your burns?" she asked as she heard him wince as they walked towards the river.

"Oh, they are alright," he grumbled.

They walked in silence for a while. Suddenly, just before they came into view of the river, Toph sensed something. Two people were kissing… making out on the river bank.

The earthbender stopped and indicated for the old man to do the same.

"What is it?" he asked.

Toph noted the couple's appearance to her. They were both familiar. It didn't take the blind girl long to realize why.

_Katara and Zuko?!_

She pointed at them from behind the bushes and Iroh peeped to see them himself and had to stifle a gasp.

Realization dawned on both of them.

* * *

Iroh watched as his nephew kissed the waterbender.

_Prince Zuko in a relationship with a waterbender? A close friend of the Avatar's at that! Impossible!_

But as he watched, he knew they were in love. He watched as Zuko pushed the water girl up against a tree and his kisses started trailing down her cheek, her neck, along her collarbone…

* * *

Katara moaned in ecstasy as she laid her head back. Things were starting to get really heated.

Zuko's hands couldn't decide if they wanted to go higher or lower and Katara didn't know if she wanted to fall forwards on top of her lover or sit back against the tree trunk with him between her legs.

But things soon started to slow down. After a while, they were cheek to cheek, just like after their first kiss.

As she stood there, sandwiched between Zuko and the tree trunk, reality caught up with Katara.

She had done a lot of thinking since the North Pole and had come to a heartbreaking decision. Now was time to voice it.

"Zuko," she managed not to moan, "I love you… I really do, but –"

"I love you too Katara… But what?" he asked, drawing away slightly.

"But… you need to make a decision," she hesitated, "are you going to keep hunting the Avatar and be _Prince_ Zuko, or are you going to do what your heart desires and help him?"

The firebender was speechless.

"Katara –"

"If you choose to keep helping the Fire Nation win the war, then… I can't be with you." She looked away from him as tears streamed down her cheeks.

There was silence for a moment.

Then, quietly, so that Katara had to strain her ears to hear, Zuko's trembling voice replied.

"I could never choose between my lover and my home and family," he whispered, as tears of his own came pouring down.

"Then I'm sorry Zuko…" she sobbed and pulled away from him, "I can't be with you." She turned away from him.

"Katara –" he sobbed disbelievingly.

"Goodbye Zuko," she cried and walked away, leaving the Fire Prince alone by the river.

This was the hardest and most painful thing Katara had ever had to do in her life.

* * *

Toph and Iroh watched as Katara disappeared.

Zuko whispered her name a few times and then fell to his knees, overcome by sobs. He cried and whispered her name and begged for her to come back.

They watched from where they stood and tears of their own fell.

Toph listened to the Prince's heart beat through her feet.

"He's shattered," she whispered, "and it broke her heart to do it."

"Were they really in love?" the old man asked.

"Truly, madly, deeply," the blind girl confirmed in a whisper.

She had heard their heartbeats the entire time she had been watching. Toph knew better than anyone that your heart can not tell a lie.

"That was the hardest thing she's ever had to do," she sobbed.

Iroh nodded.

There was a gust of wind and clouds obscured the moon. Within seconds it started to rain. It rained lightly at first, but after a few minutes, it became heavy.

Toph and Iroh watched as Zuko cried.

His heart was broke and it could never be healed.

Zuko's head was bowed as he knelt down and cried.

_**It's raining.**_

She was gone. She wasn't coming back.

_**It's raining.**_

He'd screwed up.

_**It's raining.**_

And he knew it.

_**It's raining.**_

_Why did you leave me?_

His brain didn't ask the question, it was his heart.

His broken heart ached unbearably.

_**It's raining.**_

She wasn't by his side.

_Come back…_

_**It's raining.**_

He looked up for a split second to where she had been standing, just a minute earlier.

_Why did you go?_

_**It's raining.**_

_Come back…_

_**It's raining.**_

_Please…_

_**It's raining.**_

_I'm sorry…_

He felt so empty. He needed her by his side, he needed to be able to love her and he needed her to love him.

_Why?_

He meant a lot of things by this.

Why did there have to be a war? Why did he have to be on the opposite side of the war to her? Why did he have to be on the side he didn't want to be on? Why did he have to be the son of the man who was in charge of the war? Why couldn't he be himself? Why did he have to pretend to be someone else all the time? Why did she love him? If she loved him, why did she leave him? Why was he alone?

_Why?_

_**It's raining.**_

**

* * *

**

**Did you like it? I hope you did. Review and I'll reply as soon as I can. Thank you! XD**


	5. Victory with a Price

**Ok, sorry this took so long to get up. Damn internet! Anyways, this is my remake of the invasion on the Day of Black Sun. Zuko's already told his father he's betraying him, but they're all inside the palace. Keke, this might be confusing. I wrote it before I remembered that Aang couldn't find the Fire Lord in the palace, so they somehow got back into the palace. Get over it. Anyway, R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender. I wish I did.**

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* * *

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**5. Victory with a Price**

Aang crept along the corridor closely followed by Katara, Sokka and Toph.

"So, do we know where the Fire Lord is, exactly?" Sokka asked.

The Avatar stopped in his tracks and his friends followed suit. They all stared at each other blankly. None of them knew where the Fire Lord was.

"Ok, how about we do what we did while we were looking for the Earth King in Ba Sing Se? Just look for a fancy door!" Sokka suggested.

"Good idea," Katara agreed, and the others nodded.

They all started running down the corridor again, eyes peeled in search of a door that might lead to the throne room.

* * *

The Fire Prince crouched behind an old vase as the worried messenger raced up to the guard.

"Urgent news for the Fire Lord!" he stammered.

The guard listened intently as he continued.

"The Avatar is here, in the city, we think the invasion might be a distraction so he can get into the palace… we think he might already be in!" he panted.

Zuko stayed where he was.

_So, the Avatar is in the palace at this very moment, _he thought, _and yes! He made it! Time for me to do the right thing._

As the messenger hurried away and the guard went to pass the new information onto the Fire Lord, the Prince's hands gripped the broad swords that were strapped to his back. There was no sunlight, so no one – including the Fire Lord – could firebend. Zuko was well trained with the broad swords, so he didn't need his firebending to fight.

_My father is defenseless, _he thought, _he doesn't carry any weapons, but the guards…_

He knew that the guards were armed with more than just firebending.

_One thing at a time. I need to figure out how to help Aang; I need to find the Avatar._

The Fire Prince checked that the coast was clear, got out of his hiding spot and started down the corridor.

* * *

"Hold on, hold on," Toph said. "Where _are_ the doors? I can't see any."

The gang looked around.

Katara groaned, "There _are_ no doors!" She looked around again, "There are only curtains."

A moment of silence.

"So, which curtain do you think leads to the throne room?" Aang asked.

They all looked around again.

"It'll be a fancy looking curtain. It doesn't look like it's any of these. Let's keep moving and keep looking."

The four of them ran up corridors and up staircases.

Suddenly, Toph, who had been leading the group, stopped dead in her tracks and her friends collided with her and each other.

"Sh!" she hissed, "he's through there!" she pointed blindly down a side corridor with a particularly fancy curtain at the end of it.

"How do you know?" Sokka asked suspiciously.

"Because, there are two men in there, one of them is sitting on a thrown and the other is bowing and saying something." She paused and listened. "The man talking is saying; _"My Lord, there is a rumor that the Avatar is here in the palace at this very moment. You should take an escort of guards and move to a shelter before he finds you!"_"

"What's the Fire Lord's reply?" Katara asked.

"He hasn't given one yet," Toph answered.

"Well let's go!" And the Avatar started sprinting towards the curtains his friend had indicated. His friends followed close behind him.

* * *

As the Avatar and his friends headed for the throne room, Zuko's heart began to race.

He followed quietly and discreetly, intent on not showing himself until the right moment. He had already told his father he was joining the Avatar, so he probably wouldn't be surprised to see him.

The gang slipped into the throne room and the Prince positioned himself outside the curtains.

* * *

Aang was the first to pass through the curtains.

Looking around, he saw a scared guard and the angry Fire Lord looking at him.

"The Avatar's back! I'm bringing you down, Fire Lord Ozai!" he shouted.

Within seconds, the guard had snapped out of his baffled state and charged at the group of enemies.

* * *

Zuko peeked in through the curtain as the guard readied his sword and Katara stepped forward and threw him back with a water whip.

_Go Katara! _he thought, as the guard stood up again.

_So beautiful… _then the Prince caught sight of his father, _today, I'll prove my love for her._

* * *

Katara and the guard charged at each other again. She sent another water whip at him, but this time, he was ready for it. He jumped over it and sent a dagger at her. She barely managed to dodge it and her dress got torn a little.

Within seconds, her brother was at her side and together they engaged in a two on one combat with the guard.

Aang and Toph charged at the Fire Lord. He stood up as they neared and had to jump out of the way to avoid one of the earth pillars Toph sent his way.

He threw his hands forward to shoot flames at them. It was only when nothing happened that he remembered he couldn't firebend during the eclipse. His expression became one of fear.

Aang sent an air-blast at him. The Fire Lord was blown backwards, but was on his feet again in a matter of seconds.

He dodged another earth pillar from Toph and had to duck to escape the rocks Aang was throwing at him.

Toph made him stumble by shifting the earth beneath his feet. He fell to the ground and Toph moved the earth over his hands to keep him down. Aang gave a fierce war cry and charged at the Fire Lord, forming a deadly icicle in his hands as he ran.

All other fighting in the room stopped. The water siblings and the guard turned to watch and Toph stepped back, knowing her work was done for the moment.

"No!" the guard yelled as he watch the Avatar moving in to end the life of his great monarch. But the man was rooted to the spot and couldn't do anything.

The Fire Lord's eyes bulged in fear as his enemy came at him.

* * *

Zuko held his breath. The only sound that could be heard was the Avatar's war cry. No one moved. No one spoke.

* * *

As the Avatar came closer, the Fire Lord closed his eyes. He inhaled what he thought would be his last breath. But now he could feel some hungry warmth growing inside him, begging to be unleashed.

It was his inner fire; the full eclipse was over.

His eyes flew open and he looked at the boy, just meters away from him. Aang came closer and closer. Now there was barely one meter between them.

Ozai breathed in again and concentrated on forming a flame. The boy was towering over him and the icicle was coming down towards his chest.

The Fire Lord kicked up at the boy and pushed him back with the aid of a flame. He flipped backwards and broke the earth, keeping him down. He was on his feet and it was his turn to charge. Fists alight, he ran at the young Avatar.

The Avatar's eyes were wide with fear.

_

* * *

_

_NO! _Zuko's mind screamed.

And the Prince knew it was time for him to become involved. He launched himself out of his hiding place and into the throne room.

* * *

Nothing mattered to Katara other than the tragedy unfolding before her eyes. The eclipse was over; the firebenders were in action again. The Fire Lord was no longer defenseless.

She watched as Aang fell onto his back and his eyes widened, as the Fire Lord came at him.

"NO!" Katara screamed.

"NO!" Toph and Sokka joined her this time.

"NO!" But this time, there was another familiar voice.

The three of them turned to see Zuko charging towards his father. The Prince intercepted his father's path and pushed him over.

Coming out of his momentarily baffled state, Aang sprang to his feet.

The father and son got to their feet again and glared at each other.

Katara's heart leapt, _You chose a side!_

She smiled as Zuko retreated to stand next to Aang.

_You chose the right side! _Tears of joy streamed down her face.

Aang and Zuko both attacked the Fire Lord, differences left behind and forgotten. Ozai blocked the double attack and sent both boys back with lightning.

He swooped towards Aang before he could find his feet again, but his first born made to attack him. The Fire Lord blocked the fire blast and shot back. Zuko ducked and lunged forward, sending a pillar of flames at his father.

_You're a powerful bender! _Katara noted.

Now Aang was up again, and charging. He sent a violent air-blast at his enemy, which he only just avoided. But the Fire Lord was tricky and sent flames back at Aang before he could defend himself.

The Avatar fell backwards.

"Aang!" Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko cried.

His three close friends remained rooted to the spot along with the guard, but Zuko ran at his father, eyes blazing with anger. But the crafty Fire Lord dodged his son's attacks and when he hopped around behind Zuko, he chose to attack.

Summoning a great deal of prodigy skills, he sent a deadly lightning bolt at the Prince. But Zuko didn't block his father's surprise attack as he turned to face him again. His eyes bulged as he saw the lightening, coming at him.

In a space of time occupied by a heartbeat, the waterbender screamed out to her lover.

"_Zuko!_" It was a hysterical and desperate scream.

She tried to move forward, but her feet were rooted to the spot.

Zuko could see her struggle out of the corner of his eyes, but he kept his eyes trained on his doom, which was coming at him at lightning speed. Finally, it connected with his chest.

All the air was pushed out of his lungs, as the electricity surged through his body and he was sent backwards.

He could hear Katara screaming his name.

_Don't watch Katara._

* * *

The Fire Lord laughed triumphantly as his son fell. It felt so _good _to finally be able to do that – to kill the one who had bought so much shame upon the family.

The Avatar looked at the Fire Prince, begging him, silently, to get up. But he didn't move. He tore his eyes away from Zuko's body and noticed the Fire Lord was still distracted.

Aang slowly got to his feet. Then, moving as fast as he could, he summoned as much water as he could from where he had dropped it on the ground and formed it into an icicle. Checking to make sure the tip was sharp, he aimed it at Fire Lord Ozai.

"Hey! Your majesty!" he bellowed.

The man turned, still distracted, and Aang threw the icicle.

Ozai didn't notice what was going on until it was too late. There was a thud that resounded through everyone's eardrums, as the icicle penetrated the Fire Lord's heart. There was a moment of silence as everyone acknowledged what had just happened and the man stared dumbly at the weapon, protruding from his chest.

The Fire Lord exhaled and fell forward and the icicle was pushed through his back.

Ozai moved no more.

The guard yelled out to his dead master and Sokka ran him through with his sword.

Aang thought he would have wanted to cry out in victory once the Fire Lord was dead, but they were all stunned silent for the moment.

Katara was the first to break the silence, as she regained control of her feet.

"_Zuko!_" She ran over to where the young man lay and knelt down beside him. "Zuko, are you ok?!" she asked urgently, as tears streaked down her face.

The firebender looked up at Katara.

"Katara," he heaved. His breath was ragged and painful. "I'm on your side."

The water girl looked at him and half smiled. She bought her head down so that her hair fell around their faces, like a silky brown curtain.

"I know you are," she sobbed to him.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry I couldn't choose before…" he panted.

"It's ok, it's ok." Katara's voice shook as much as her hands, as she reached for her water skin.

"I'm sorry…" he breathed.

"It's ok, don't think about it, just relax," she told him, as she sat up and unscrewed the lid of the water skin.

She eliminated some water and made a glove of healing water. She ran her glowing fingertips over the wound left by the lightning bolt over Zuko's chest.

In her peripheral vision, she could see Aang, Toph and Sokka, gathering around them slowly, but stopping a few meters away.

Katara looked into Zuko's golden eyes and could see the lights leaving them.

"_No…" _she breathed.

"Katara…" Zuko whispered, but the room was so quiet, everyone could hear, "I'm sorry."

Katara shook her head. Tears fell onto his face as she leaned over him again. He reached up with one hand and cupped her face in it. He slowly let his grip slip to one cheek and one of her hands came and clasped his, holding it there.

"I love you…" she whispered.

Katara sobbed and leaned closer.

"I love you too," he breathed.

The waterbender gently pressed her lips to his and held them there.

She could taste blood.

_No…_

His hand on her cheek felt cold, as it began to slip away.

_Don't leave me…_

His hand fell away and lay on the ground, at his side.

_Come back… come back…_

Katara removed her lips from his and sat up to look at him.

Zuko lay on his back, lips parted, blood drizzling from the wound on his chest and blank, lifeless golden eyes, staring unseeingly, up at the ceiling.

She started to cry and she lay down next to him and put her head on his chest. She felt Aang and Toph and Sokka come and kneel next to her.

Sokka's hand rested on her shoulder as her body shook with sobs.

"Zuko… no… don't leave me… come back… come back…" she cried.

Sokka tried to gently pull her off him. She clung to him and pushed her brother away. She wouldn't leave her lover.

"Katara, we have to get out of here," he said softly.

"NO!" she yelled, "I won't leave him!"

"Katara we have to," Toph whispered.

She shook her head violently. She wouldn't let go of Zuko.

"You loved him… didn't you?" Aang's voice sounded gently, but Katara could detect the jealousy.

She nodded as she continued to cry. Everyone else was silent. They all sat there and waited. Katara felt their hands, trying to stroke her comfortingly, as she clung to the body of her dead lover.

After a while, her sobs subsided and she just buried her face in his chest, near his collarbone and she stared at the injury that had caused his death.

Katara wasn't sure of when, but after what must have been hours, her sore eyes drooped shut and she fell into a restless sleep, filled with dreams of blood and lightning and her own cries of grief as she leaned over Zuko's dead body.

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**Yea, I decided that I wanted a sad ending for this story. Is everyone else sad now? Poor Katara, how would you feel? Anyway, don't tell me I didn't warn you. I said it would be romance/tragedy… and that it was gonna be a twisted fairytale. Please don't hate me for this; I couldn't resist making a sad ending. I like crying about this sort of stuff for some unknown reason. **

**Anyway, review! And the story isn't over just yet. There are a couple more chapters.**

**If you wanna be part of team Zutara, look on my profile page and follow my instructions. **


	6. Faded

**Uh, sorry, internet died again. Look, if I don't update at least one of my stories in a week, it will most likely mean that my internet has died. But I just got a new one, so we should be safe from now on... hopefully. (If we aren't safe, I'm gonna flipping kill telecom!)**

**Ok, I know I'm a horrible person for killing Zuko, but I did classify this as a romance/''tragedy'' for a reason, so don't say I didn't warn you. Well, enjoy, don't cry too much and please don't flame at me. R&R.**

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**6. Faded**

Katara opened her eyes and saw her brother, sitting next to the bed she lay in. They looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"How are you feeling?" Sokka croaked.

She didn't answer, but looked away from him. It had been three days since the eclipse, since the invasion, since the death of the Fire Lord, since the end of the war.

Since Zuko's death.

She hadn't said a word for all the three days. She hadn't eaten and she hadn't left the bed.

Without Zuko, Katara's world was empty. Blank. Boring.

Without Zuko, she was depressed.

Without Zuko, she felt cold.

Without Zuko, she felt faded.

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Aang watched the sun set. Toph stood beside him and waited for him to say something. But the young Avatar didn't speak. He only watched the sun set and thought.

Toph and the new Fire Lord, Iroh, had told Aang and Sokka what they had seen happening between Zuko and Katara in the forest. The Avatar understood now. They had been secretly seeing each other. They had been in love.

When Aang had realized this, his world had fallen apart. He had loved Katara. She had meant the world to him. But Katara had loved Zuko. And she had never said anything to anyone about it.

_But __**I **__love her. Why doesn't she love __**me**__?_

Aang was jealous.

_And she still loves him, even thought he's dead. _His thoughts were bitter.

Aang continued to watch the sun set. Inside, the feelings of loneliness and depression and jealousy continued to grow.

_She doesn't love me._

Tears came to the Avatar's eyes, but he blinked them back. Katara didn't love him.

Knowing this, Aang felt empty.

He felt hollow.

He felt worthless.

Toph had kept everything from him. She had known all this time and she had never said anything about it.

_Why didn't you say something? _

Aang felt so alone. Sokka was the only one he could trust. He was the only one who knew how he felt. He was the only other person who had been completely lied to about the situation.

Aang felt betrayed.

He felt faded.

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Toph knew there was no trust anymore. It was all gone, because she hadn't told anyone.

_I'm so sorry, Aang._

The earthbender wiped tears from her unseeing eyes.

She felt hollow without the Avatar's trust. She knew the Sokka no longer trusted her either. Her heart ached. She was ashamed of her dishonesty.

And what about Katara? Toph hadn't mentioned to the waterbender that she knew anything until she had to explain it to the boys with Zuko's uncle Iroh.

Without her friends trust, she felt empty.

She felt faded.

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Iroh sipped his tea as more tears trickled down his wrinkled cheeks. But the tea didn't taste right. Iroh didn't feel right. Nothing felt or tasted right anymore.

Zuko was gone.

The Fire Prince had been a son to the old man. Nothing like his real son, but still a son, in the old general's eyes. His nephew had always brightened his days. No matter where they had stood with each other or what mood either of them were in, Zuko just always help Iroh stay on his feet. Now there was no one to do that. His nephew was irreplaceable.

With Zuko gone, there was a hole in the old mans heart, and it bought him much pain. The hole grew bigger as he saw that the Avatar and the water boy didn't trust him.

It only helped a little to know that he wasn't the only one they no longer trusted. Toph had come to him several times, in tears, from how ashamed she was for not telling her friends of what she had seen that night that seemed a lifetime ago.

The thing that helped most, although it really wasn't all that much, was the fact that Katara was experiencing close to the same pain. Of course, it wasn't exactly the same. Iroh had loved Zuko like a father would love his son, but Katara loved Zuko as a lover; as someone to spend the rest of her life with. The pain was similar, but no all the same. Nonetheless, it comforted that man to know that he wasn't the only one who was experiencing pain.

But he still hurt.

Without Zuko, the Great Dragon of the West wasn't so great anymore.

Without his nephew, General Iroh was a broken man. He had lost everyone he had ever loved.

Without the one he saw as a son, Iroh felt faded.

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Sokka felt empty.

He sat in the bedroom with his sister and thought of the secrets she had kept from him.

_She loved that firebender, that basted, that man! He was the enemy, but she loved him. And he loved her._

Katara hadn't mentioned her love life to Sokka at all. What else had she kept secret from him?

_Why didn't you tell me? _he asked her silently, _was it because you were ashamed? Or was it because you didn't trust me?_

Sokka thought and thought and tried to work out why he had never been told.

_Or did you tell me, in your own way? Did you do something that should have made it obvious to me?_

Sokka tried to think. Where had things gone wrong? What had he missed?

_Am I a bad brother for not knowing? _

Sokka's heart was heavy. He wished so badly that he had known. He didn't know how he should feel.

But he felt mistrusted.

He felt alone.

Betrayed.

He felt faded.

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_I'm sorry I never told you, Sokka. I was just so afraid of what you might think of me. _Katara wanted to say it out loud, but she couldn't find her voice.

Her brother looked at her.

_Did you love him?_

_Yes._

_Did you really?_

_More than anything._

_Did he love you?_

_I meant everything to him._

_Did he treat you right?_

_Every step of the way._

_Why didn't you tell me?_

_I was scared of your judgment._

_You're my sister, I would never judge you._

_I know that now, I'm sorry._

They didn't need words for this conversation. What they wanted to say could be heard in the silence, as they looked at each other, with tears streaming down their faces.

_Do you miss him?_

_My life is not complete without him._

_Do you still love him?_

_Yes._

The water girl began to sob.

_I'm sorry you lost him._

Katara began to cry now, unable to control herself.

Sokka lay down in the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She cried onto him and he comforted her as best he could.

Katara felt empty.

She felt cold.

She felt alone.

She felt faded.

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**Sad, sad ending. I know. I'm sorry for doing this to you, but I did warn you, so please don't be mad at me... lol, yea, I'm depressed now. Well, that's my need to cry satisfied. I'll try and make the next story a little more happier. I'll at least end it on a happier note. Well, review.**

**If you wanna be part of Team Zutara (you can join anytime) check my profile page and you'll find out how.**

**Last of all, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers:**

_**Northern Lights 25**_

_**missing-mi-heart**_

_**Lost Whispers**_

_**zutara4lyfe**_

_**Zutara-vampirepirate**_

_**Miss Tear-Chan**_

_**shikon entity shinobu**_

_**Morgana Makaber**_

_**Lady Padfoot21**_

_**Zutara XD**_

**And my anonymous reviewer**

_**hj**_

**Ok, cyber cookies to all of you. Thank you very much for your support and reviews. Much love! Ok, please review now.**

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	7. Never Again

**Ok, I know the last chapter was meant to be the last one, but I got asked by a couple of my reviewers to do more and to explain what happened to such and such. So before I begin, thank you to Lady Padfoot21 and Morgana Makaber for convincing me to write this chappie and giving me the ideas. Cyber cookies for you two!**

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7. Never Again

Azula his in the shadows as she watched the Water Tribe girl dissolve in tears over Zuko's dead body. A pang of an unfamiliar feeling swelled up inside her, as she looked at her own brother and father and she felt tears stinging the back of her eyes.

She looked away and stood up. Azula knew exactly what this meant. The war was over, the Fire Nation had lost... her father had lost... she had lost.

She took one last look over her shoulder before she left the palace forever. She would never come back here again. She would never give in and surrender to join the Avatar. She was Ozai's daughter and she was loyal to him; that would never change, not even in his passing.

She would never forget what the Avatar and the rest of the world had done to her, and she would never forgive them. For now, she would turn her back on them all, but one day, she would be back. She'd make them pay, and they would pay with their blood.

But until then, she would wait. The lioness waiting for the right moment to pounce on her prey. Then, she would be the one who won.

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When Sokka had finally left her room and left Katara to herself, she found herself once again staring into space.

_How much longer can I go without him? How much longer can I survive without Zuko?_

Tears spilt out of her eyes and ran down her cheeks to drop onto her pillow and become absorbed by the material.

There was almost nothing left to make sure she would remember him, but at the same time, everywhere she looked, there was something that made her think of him. It was torture at its cruelest, and it just wouldn't go away.

There was only one thing that was a direct memory of the Fire Prince, and it was now one of Katara's possessions that no one else knew about. Right now, she took it out, just to make sure she wasn't forgetting him. Out from under her pillow, she slipped a pearl dagger, still in its sheath. She took it out of its sheath and looked at the inscriptions on the side.

_Never give up without a fight_

"Well, they're words that will be imprinted in my head for the rest of my life..." she thought wearily, as she lay back on her pillow. She snuggled up to herself under her blanket; everything just seemed so cold without him there.

_So cold..._

She remembered when they had met in the North Pole. He had saved her life several times. He had kept her warm. He had kept her safe.

_So cold..._

She shivered violently at the thought of the North Pole encounter. No, she couldn't think of it; it just hurt too much.

She still remembered the way her held her as he kissed her and she was sure she could still taste the salt that was on his lips.

Another tear streaked down her cheek. She could feel herself dying. It was the most tragic thought in the world; dying of a broken heart.

Already, Katara knew this would be a painful experience, and she was certain that it would make her meet her end. But it hurt so much, why couldn't it just end?

_But it __**could**__ just end. Right here and now... _she looked at Zuko's pearl dagger which she held in her hand, _I have the power to make it all end... right here... right now..._

Katara raised the sharp blade up to her throat. But on second thoughts she moved it back down to her chest and held it over her heart. The one place in her body that was hurting most. She wouldn't have to suffer without him any longer...

"This is for you, Zuko..." _I'm coming to be with you... then I'll be out of my pain... out of my misery..._

She took a breath and shut her eyes, squeezing her eyelids together tightly.

Her hand came down.

"Katara! What are you doing?!" Sokka's voice rang out, as she felt someone grab the wrist of the hand she held the weapon in.

Her eyes flew open; her brother had stopped her.

"NO! Sokka! Let me go!" Tears came streaming down her face as she tried to release herself from her brother's grip. But the Water Tribe boy wouldn't let her do it; he wouldn't let his sister take her own life.

"I promised Dad I'd take care of you," he whispered, as he managed to pry his sister's fingers off the hilt. He quickly snatched up the knife and threw it across the room just as Aang walked into the doorway.

"NO! Sokka, I want to be with him! I _need _to be with him!" Her voice bordered on hysteria.

"Katara, listen to me! Killing yourself isn't going to make things any better!" Sokka tried to reason.

"Let me go! Just let me do it! It doesn't matter anymore!" She struggled against her brother as he wrapped his arms tightly around her to keep her still.

Aang snatched up the knife and quickly got rid of it; he would never hear of his friend killing herself if it was the last thing he made sure he never heard.

"Katara, listen to me!" Sokka's voice went demanding for a moment. But as quickly as it had risen, it dropped to a soft and gentle tone, which made Katara think of none other than her father. "You might think that killing yourself is going to make things all better. You think that just because you take your own life means that you'll be with him. But it doesn't. If you kill yourself, you'll be just as lost to him as you are now. On top of that, it might make you feel better to do something like this, but it tears the rest of us apart to know you were even thinking it!" There were tears in Sokka's eyes, as he spoke and Katara stopped struggling and subsided to silently crying onto his shoulder. "Please, stop this. I know that right now, you want more than anything to hide away from the world, but if you do that, you're only going to make things worse for yourself and everyone around you."

Katara took in a sharp breath and sat back to look her brother in the eye.

"We all die some day, but we shouldn't die by taking our own lives, because it just makes it all the worse for the people who are left behind. I know you're scared, and I know you're hurt, but you need to move on now. Let go. Forget about him. People do die, Katara, but life goes on. And we need to make the most of the life that was given to us." He spoke so truly, Katara was sure there was an angel trapped inside him.

"And, Katara, if it makes you feel any better, look at the bright side! You still have everyone else that you love... well, that's to say not all of them are dead. But look at me," Aang indicated miserably to himself, "remember what happened when I found out my people had be killed and I was the only one left? I have no one that I use to know; I've only got my knew friends. And that leaves me with a huge gap that I will never be able to fill. It's like you and Sokka will never be able to fill the gap left by your mother and you won't be able to fill the gap left by Zuko."

The waterbender smiled at her airbender friend, "Oh, Aang, you and Sokka always seem to know what to say and when to say it. I love you both so much." Katara pulled the two boys into a hug. "Alright then, for you guys, I'll try and stop crying."

"Finally..."

"That's the spirit, Katara!" Aang smiled.

"But I don't think I can ever forget him. No, I'll never forget him, and I'll never be able to fall in love again," she informed them both solemnly.

They gave her a pitiful smile, "I guess it's better than you just staying in here all day and crying forever."

"Yea, I could swear you could have cried the whole ocean out by now!" Sokka informed her.

Katara laughed lightly and Sokka and Aang smiled broadly at her. She hadn't smiled since Zuko had died. Katara smiled wider at the looks of relief on their faces, it felt good to be smiling again.

"Come on Katara, we'll go for a walk." Sokka made her stand up.

The young waterbender followed her brother and the Avatar out of the room and she saw full sunlight for the fist time in a week. She inhaled the fresh air gratefully and sighed.

All of the world seemed so perfect out here, but she knew something was still missing. Katara knew that she couldn't cry forever. She would move on from Zuko, she wouldn't linger on his death and grieve until it killed her. But she would never forget him. She would never stop loving him. And in that instant, as she tried to push all of her heartbreak away, she promised herself that she would never fall in love again.

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**Ok, is everyone satisfied now? I sure hope so, because I think I'm gonna die if I have to type that fast again to get the ideas in text before I forget them. (Phew...)**

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